This is more a 'tip' thread as I think others might find some useful information.
In 2001 I bought a new Miller Syncrowave 180SD TIG welder. After about 10 years, I got tired of holding the super-hot torch so I bought a used CoolMate 4 cooler off Ebay....the seller said it was in great shape.
When the CoolMate arrived, I could see it was dirty inside but I was in the middle of a project so I filled it with new coolant and put it to work.
For the past couple years, I've noticed my TIG welding skills seemed to be going to pot to the point that I had stopped trying to use the TIG and was MIG welding most things. I couldn't get a good arc and I seemed to be having all the problems associated with dirty rods, bad tungsten, etc.
This week I pulled it out and decided to have another go at it and while can easily strike and hold an arc, it is a crummy arc and seems to have no power behind it. It wouldn't even puddle up 1/8" steel.
At that point, I realized it wasn't my skills or my setup that were getting bad...it was the welder. I pulled it apart and found nothing wrong inside (visually). I also checked the pedal (it has proper 0-1000ohm resistance) and the amperage rheostat. That leaves the circuit board. I talked to a few guys and they have told me the caps generally have a 15 year life so that could be it. I have sent it off to be rebuilt. Tip #1 - Frankco.com is a one man operation who is familiar with most welder boards. His prices are good and you get personal service.
On the Coolmate, I took it apart and found it was really gunked up....the cooling fins were essentially inoperative. Luckily the CoolMate 4 is way over rated for my torch. It looks like they had this unit running next to some source of fiber and oil. Whatever it was, it was quite hard to clean out...lots of strong detergent and rinses. The fan and motor were also caked in this mess and I took the motor apart and cleaned it up, also the fan and coolant pump. The unit looks nearly new now and I am sure will work great.
Tip #2 - The coolant pump has a small mesh filter that needs to be cleaned. It is shown in the manual but I suspect most people never touch it. Mine was fairly well clogged up.
TIp #3 - Remove the heat exchanger first before trying to pull the fan/pump motor assembly. This seems backwards when you look at it, but it makes accessing the motor mounting screws way easier.
In 2001 I bought a new Miller Syncrowave 180SD TIG welder. After about 10 years, I got tired of holding the super-hot torch so I bought a used CoolMate 4 cooler off Ebay....the seller said it was in great shape.
When the CoolMate arrived, I could see it was dirty inside but I was in the middle of a project so I filled it with new coolant and put it to work.
For the past couple years, I've noticed my TIG welding skills seemed to be going to pot to the point that I had stopped trying to use the TIG and was MIG welding most things. I couldn't get a good arc and I seemed to be having all the problems associated with dirty rods, bad tungsten, etc.
This week I pulled it out and decided to have another go at it and while can easily strike and hold an arc, it is a crummy arc and seems to have no power behind it. It wouldn't even puddle up 1/8" steel.
At that point, I realized it wasn't my skills or my setup that were getting bad...it was the welder. I pulled it apart and found nothing wrong inside (visually). I also checked the pedal (it has proper 0-1000ohm resistance) and the amperage rheostat. That leaves the circuit board. I talked to a few guys and they have told me the caps generally have a 15 year life so that could be it. I have sent it off to be rebuilt. Tip #1 - Frankco.com is a one man operation who is familiar with most welder boards. His prices are good and you get personal service.
On the Coolmate, I took it apart and found it was really gunked up....the cooling fins were essentially inoperative. Luckily the CoolMate 4 is way over rated for my torch. It looks like they had this unit running next to some source of fiber and oil. Whatever it was, it was quite hard to clean out...lots of strong detergent and rinses. The fan and motor were also caked in this mess and I took the motor apart and cleaned it up, also the fan and coolant pump. The unit looks nearly new now and I am sure will work great.
Tip #2 - The coolant pump has a small mesh filter that needs to be cleaned. It is shown in the manual but I suspect most people never touch it. Mine was fairly well clogged up.
TIp #3 - Remove the heat exchanger first before trying to pull the fan/pump motor assembly. This seems backwards when you look at it, but it makes accessing the motor mounting screws way easier.
